This article explores teachers' experiences of establishing and maintaining Indonesian gamelan music programs in Australian schools focusing on their views of the strengths and challenges of those programs. By analysing these experiences, I argue that we can discover important indicators of the factors which affect the long-term vitality and…

This paper investigates one experienced classroom music teacher's journey in navigating syllabus changes in New South Wales (NSW) secondary schools in the period between 1968 and 1978. A significant dearth of research on teacher education in general, and in particular, in the area of secondary music teaching exists in NSW. This research will add…

This paper discusses the results of an anonymous survey completed by 239 Australian piano teachers in relation to the teaching materials and practices used by teachers with piano students aged 12-17, older beginners. The survey, which is part of a broader study investigating constructivism in music education, explores teacher choices and opinions…

Early-career teachers are referred to in the literature as being in their first few years of teaching experience (Ballantyne & Zhukov, 2017; Dabback, 2018). This research aims to identify current issues that affect the aspirations of early-career secondary school music teachers, including what motivates and engages them in their work and what…

The "West Australian" of June 1919 contains a detailed account of a 'novel educational method'. It was the first public demonstration of the Eurhythmics of Jaques-Dalcroze in Australia. It was held in Government House Ballroom, under the patronage of His Excellency, the Governor of Western Australia, and Lady Ellison-MacCartney. It was…

The purpose of this paper is to share the initial outcomes of a doctoral study about teaching for creativity in primary schools. The investigation inquired into how and why educators teach for creativity and implement creative processes in music, performing arts and generalist classrooms. The key outcomes discussed in this paper refer specifically…

Research has shown that an audience can make a great difference to a musical performance but limited research has explored this with primary school-aged children. Using an action research study, participants from a primary school choir, students in fifth and sixth class formed into a choir through a compulsory singing programme, were surveyed to…

Good musical education has been shown to have benefits across the curriculum but its delivery in schools is still extremely variable. Part of the problem is that many primary teachers lack skills and/or confidence to offer engaging music programs. In an attempt to find possible solutions to this problem we ran a pilot program of a short series of…

Duoethnography and narrative inquiry are used to investigate the perspectives of two experienced teachers from contrasting curriculum specialties, one in music and the other in mathematics within a primary school setting. Initiated by the music teacher, research focuses on the usefulness of embodied and participatory forms of music-making for…

In 1993 the Victorian Music Teachers' Association (VMTA) published a fund-raising cookbook, Prestissimo Food for Agitato Musicians. Community cookbooks provide social historians with valuable windows into the lives and personalities of the contributors. The VMTA cookbook is no exception, bringing individuals into sharp relief and including asides…

This research provides an account of the activities of the South Australian May Music Camp (SAMMC), identifying it as a significant extra-curricular activity in the calendar of music education opportunities open to children from nine to 23 years of age, between 1962 and 1986. This annual non-residential music camp took place during the two-week…

Formed in 1965, and now including around 150 players and seven ensembles, the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra (TYO) is the oldest state-based youth orchestra in Australia. This paper presents the findings from a 2018 survey of TYO participants, as one part of a broader qualitative pilot project into the perceived benefits of participation in TYO. Using…

It is almost as if there are two Bartóks -- the amiable collector of Hungarian folk music and the 'infernal' barbarian intent on destroying the music of the past (Gillies, 2010). These two sides of Bartók's character may be seen in such disparate works as "The Miraculous Mandarin" (1919) and his "Suite" No. 2, Op. 4 (1904-07).…

Research suggests graduates from music courses in Australian tertiary institutions typically undertake portfolio careers that include a combination of performing and teaching. Both of these activities could have ongoing artistic ripple effects on the musical communities the graduates inhabit. This paper reports on a qualitative post-graduate…

Successful House Concerts rely on an equal positive interaction between three groups of people: the musicians (or artists), the audience and the host, with the performance being the central activity. A concert facilitator may be engaged by the host to assist with organisation. Each has a participatory role to ensure that the House Concert…